Puerto Rico and Dominica dive trip- what do you think?

[opalobsidian]

Hello Dive Board!

I just got back from Montserrat last night- a beautiful island, wonderful people, fantastic pooting volcano-BUT! due to crazy choppy ash filled seas, out of a planned 5 days of diving we got to dunk ourselves for approximately 30 minutes!

So, I'm beginning to envision my Next Big Trip, which I have time to do in April. How does a trip to Puerto Rico and then to Dominica sound? Does anyone have any guidance or good experiences to share about either place, as far as lodging gems or fave dive ops?

Also, do you suppose April is a good time to visit these islands? After getting rained out of my liveaboard in N Sulawesi in July, baked out of my skull by the heat on Grand Turk in October, and caught in the spin cycle ocean and volcanic erruption of Montserrat in January, I'm beginning to question my timing!

Thanks so much
Pamela

 

[lil_wings]

PR is great. Guanica and Fajardo are the biggest dive areas on the island, but you can find dive sites/ charters all over the place on the web.

 

[DiverDebbie]

I'm always doing reasearch on the weather for my vacations. I despise rain on my trips, seeing as how I live in the rainiest place in the world!!! (and recently add windy and snowy too). Besides, rain can at the very least ruin the viz, and as you know, rough seas and wind can keep you on land. Avoid June 1 to Nov. 30, the hurricane season, which you will do by going in April, but keep in mind that some places will still get spring rains.

I haven't heard much about Dominica, but I just read this "Dominica is characterized by little seasonal variation in temperatures and strong, steady trade winds. The island is among the wettest in the Caribbean." Doesn't sound good.

Why not go to Bonaire? It's known for fabulous diving and I see that April is just about the driest month to go. Sounds like a pretty sure bet.

 

[Flight1ok]

Puerto Rico's great. Just got back from there, (over this last weekend actually), and it worked out well. Great food, they use the greenback, awesome stuff to do when not diving, and of course the diving.
Heard from a couple of pro boat captains while on this last trip, that bonaire is the best in the caribbean for diving, but you have to keep a sharp eye on your stuff, as it likes to grow legs and walk away...

 

[pelan-pelan]

Diving in Dominica is very good. We were there last July and of course it rained (it does in July!), but the viz didn't seem to be affected. There are plenty of dive reports on the board about Dominica. The dive operations at Anchorage Hotel and Castle Comfort are OK (nearly next door to one another), or Nature Island Dive have a very high reputation.

And there lots to do outside of diving too. Take time inland at 3Rivers Eco Lodges, brilliant!

 

[susan6868]

Hope you don't mind me riding your brainwave but I've been looking at Puerto Rico as welll. Particularly Culebra. Has anyone stayed and dove there? I've never been crazy about the mail island of PR because it is so built up but Culaebra looks like it might be cool.
Please post if you know anything about it.
Thanks
Susan

 

[divengolf]

I dove Dominica last Feb.-March. Great weather and some of the best diving I've seen on the Atlantic side. I used Nature island Diving. Great folks.

PM me if you want to know more.

 

[jefsan]

Was in Dominica twice last year. Have only dived the North with Cabrits Dive Center out of Portsmouth. Excellent operation and friendly people. The diving up there is very good with excellent coral life and fish.

On the accomodation side Dominica is not great. I stayed at the Calabishi Lodges which are a 20-25 mininute ride from the dive center. It is a nice place but basic. Very good food though. Forget staying in Portsmouth as there is nothing really decent accomodation wise in my book.

Go for the diving though, it is very good